[December 10, 2024]
Marilyn McFarlane
August 20, 1938 - September 18, 2024
Beloved matriarch of the McFarlane clan, Marilyn passed away in Hillsdale on September 18, 2024, surrounded by the loving support of her four daughters and husband, Chopin’s piano, and flowers from her garden. She left in peace knowing she’d had a full life well-lived, passing with the same grace and courage with which she had lived.
Marilyn was born to Robert and Ida Mary (MacLaren) McFarlane in Seattle, joining brothers Donald and Robert. Four years later sister Marian was born. In her youth, the family moved regularly as her father was a Presbyterian minister and eventually settled in Portland.
In 1956, Marilyn graduated from Washington High School, where she’d made many life-long friends. In 1975, after twelve years of taking classes while raising her family, she became a proud graduate of Portland State University, which she always thanked for a good education.
Although an early marriage did not last, it produced four daughters, Kathy, Cindy, Loralee and Alison, her pride and joy. Her children and eleven grandchildren all have fond memories of annual gatherings for her birthday at the Oregon coast. No matter how big and busy family gatherings were, Marilyn provided a calm center. Her grandchildren called her “Nana” and as they grew she became a patient and trusted counsel, always gentle yet strong and wise.
She married the great love of her life, John Parkhurst, in 1982. Together, they created a beautiful home and garden in Hillsdale, where they lived and played in the dirt for over forty years, joined by a cast of cherished kitties.
Since childhood, Marilyn loved and lived in books. “Charlotte’s Web,” “Anne of Green Gables,” “A Secret Garden,” the Bronte sisters, Nancy Drew and many more captured and nurtured her young imagination. Poetry and writing of all kinds became her passion and she wrote all her life, and in many different ways. While still completing her college degree, she held several jobs, including writing and producing the 11 o’clock news at KATU TV for three years.
In 1979, she achieved her dream of opening her own office as a freelance writer, at which she flourished for the next forty-five years.
Early on, she wrote video and film scripts, articles, brochures, manuals, newsletters, and press releases for a wide array of clients including US Bancorp and Portland Public Schools. At the same time, she was writing scores of articles for local and regional newspapers and magazines. She wrote and edited books for others on subjects as varied as a cookbook for seniors, parties for kids, and coping with grief after the death of a child.
With other like-minded business women who “wanted more than a paycheck,” she helped found Women Entrepreneurs of Oregon.
She loved to travel, and for seven years wrote “Northwest Discoveries,” a weekly travel column in “This Week” newspaper. That experience set the stage for multiple editions of “Best Places to Stay in the Pacific Northwest,” “Best Places to Stay in California,” and “Quick Escapes in the Pacific Northwest” for Simon & Schuster. She and John put in thousands of miles every year visiting hundreds of inns, B&B’s, hotels, and resorts throughout the West Coast. In 1992, Governor Barbara Roberts appointed her to a four-year term on the State Tourism Advisory Council.
Her strong feminist beliefs, deep interest in spirituality, and knowledge of world religions led her to start a “Goddess Group” with her dear friend Dee Poth, which gathered regularly for years to study and learn from pre-Christian, goddess- based religions around the world. Her focus on spirituality continued with writing “Sacred Myths: Stories of World Religions,” a compilation of thirty-five stories from seven different religious traditions set off by gorgeous graphics reflecting the traditions of each faith.
In the early ‘90's, Marilyn and John started practicing yoga, which enhanced the deep connection they shared for the natural world, while also exposing them to a better understanding of the Eastern religions. Yoga retreats in Bali and India brought those traditions closer and aided Marilyn in her writing about world religions.
As she aged, her focus continued to expand further into the complexities of time and space and the wonder of life and our universe. Fittingly, her last spiritual pursuit was with a group of good friends collectively dubbed the “Cosmics” who met at her home every other week throughout the two and a half years of her illness, keeping her mind stimulated and her heart warmed.
Her parents and siblings predeceased her. She is survived by her husband John; daughters Kathy, Cindy, Loralee, and Alison; sons-in-law Tom, Thomas, and John; and her adored grandchildren Geoff, David, Alyssa, Benjamin, Katherine, Theresa, Ian, Alex, Jesse, Casey, and Jamie. She also leaves 14 great-grandchildren, nine much loved nieces and nephews, and many more cherished family members and friends.
A celebration of life was held in November.
Remembrances may be sent to Friends of the Columbia River Gorge - gorgefriends.com
Obituary submitted by Marilyn’s family
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